Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah Finish WRC3 Rally Chile with Top-8 Result

Concepción, Chile, September 15, 2026: Indian rally crew Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah ended their South American World Rally Championship (WRC) campaign on a positive note with a top-eight finish and a stage win in the WRC3 category at Rally Chile Biobío.

Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 prepared by PH Sport, the reigning Indian National Rally Champions finished eighth in WRC3 at the technically demanding Chilean round. The rally featured challenging gravel stages and winding forest tracks across the Biobío region.

The result came after a challenging Rally del Paraguay a fortnight earlier, where the Mangaluru-Kodagu pairing had been fighting for a WRC3 podium before an accident with just one stage remaining forced them to retire. The duo also claimed a WRC3 stage victory in Paraguay.

The back-to-back Paraguay and Chile rallies formed part of a planned international programme by TSI Racing, aimed at giving Mascarenhas and Karumbaiah experience of some of the most demanding conditions on the WRC calendar.

Their 2026 international campaign began at Rally Islas Canarias in April, where the Indian crew finished seventh in class. They subsequently competed in the FIA European Rally Championship at Rally di Roma Capitale in July, finishing 12th in Rally3, before heading to South America for the two WRC rounds.

Mohan Nagarajan, Managing Director of Sidvin Energy Engineering, which backs TSI Racing, said the three WRC outings had provided valuable experience for both the crew and the team.

“The three WRC rounds have given Dean, Gagan and the entire team a wealth of experience. It has been a great learning curve, and we have seen them improve with every rally. Chile was particularly demanding, and they drove very well on some of the most technical and tricky stages we have encountered. We take home a lot of positives from the last two rounds and will build on this experience as we plan our next steps,” said Nagarajan, a former rally racer.

Mascarenhas also highlighted the difficulty of Rally Chile Biobío and praised the team’s preparation and his co-driver’s pace-note work.

“The experience we gained from this rally is huge. It is one of the toughest rallies I have ever driven, and completing it gives me immense pleasure. The team did a great job in putting together a competitive car, while Gagan was spot on with his notes throughout. These three WRC rallies have given us a lot of confidence and taught us a great deal. I thank my team TSI Racing and PH Sport for this rich experience,” said Dean.